from what i've heard xml can be used to make gauges for fs. what is the best way for a beginner to learn xml and where and how do i get started?

You start with uncabbing the original baron.cab, and make some changes - see what happens. Then come back to this forum and take a look at older discussions, on what you need etc. Do some more experiments, then come back and ask questions :)Sorry, but this has been up before, I don't have time just now to do major explanations :)

It's very similar to HTML, if you have any familiarity with it. Basically, every "tag" is enclosed in angle brackets (< and >) and may have attributes (for example, value="5"). Case is important and parameter values must be in quotes. Look at some example files and you'll probably get the idea.Here's a 2-minute crash course:http://www.swynk.com/friends/jones/articles/xml_101.aspOnce you know how to create and edit XML, you need to know the actual elements and attributes you need to use. Those are covered in the SDK documentation as well as in some downloads from the file library.